Tracking the trams...

Look back in time and there you would see. A Calcutta different in manya ways from the Kolkata we see today. A time when may be you and I werenot there, but so many things that are on the verge of becoming extinctwere so very gloriously there. Kolkata is a periodic city and this isone truth that no one seems to deny.We are so nostalgic about thetraditions that are fast eroding and those with which we were soattached to.

There was a time when like the metro and the buses... trams were asindispensable modes of transport criss crossing the heart of the city.However, times have changed now. So much so that it takes Yuva to pointthat romance in tram is really a sweet little thing to do or Parineetato remind that trams are one of those few stock visual codes to createthe Kolkata-ambiance on screen.

I remember a particular advertisement of the recent past of some softdrink(most probably Thums UP), where they show different places inIndia... and they show a woman clad in white saree with red border anda tram cutting through the greenery of Maidan to denote Kolkata.

The tram carries so much of the Kolkata feel to it but with the rapidpace of life and technology of the city, the accelerator of the vehicleseems to be trailing way back.

A tram ride on a moonlit might through the Dalhousie still gives ecstatic pleasure but may be we have changed our taste.

Will the tram survive in time? or will it be yet-another-heritage object for future visitors of Museum to muse on?

It's actually the times which urge us to change. The trams, though strong on the nostalgia factor, is no longer loved by most who are too busy to slow down for a ride on the trams. The Tram Company has no time to repair the old trams and tram lines and so it's a much slower means of transport and thus shunned by most. But it will always play a vital part being one of the symbols of Kolkata. Those joyrides and the savouring of the sights and sounds of Kolkata, the familiar "ting ting" as the tram passes... Thankfully the Ultadanga tram line has been repaired again and the service has been resumed. The only hope for the tram service is if people start using them once again.

Whoevrs had this idea of puttin it in the middle of the street... whn ever you run to get on a tram you can invarialbly find half a dozen vehicles rushin towards you!!!!! chapa pore trame chorte hoy!!!!

there are some areas where ucan use th tram and thts better thn a lot other transport... like area near red road.. and the surroundings.. since they don interfere with the traffic...and busses are scarce in those placez... trams are a gud option .. but rest of the city.... hmmm ..............

okay ateesh... i extend ur hmmm... a little bit more...agreed getting on trams n putting up with its slow speed is a menace ta times.. but i was wondering just as win98 can b upgraded to win XP.. cudnt teh trams be upgraded to suit our current lifestyle?!